Gone, But Not Forgotten
by MugglesUnite
Summary: Harry brings his young godson to Hogwarts to tell him about his parents and his past...


**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing related to Harry Potter. All credit goes to the amazing and brilliant JK Rowling. I mean, seriously, the woman is probably one of the coolest in the world!**

* * *

Harry leaned against a stone wall that bordered the all-too-familiar, rectangular courtyard. It had been seven years since he had stepped foot on the Hogwarts grounds and every second brought an ache to his heart. The place he once called home was now a place he could hardly stand to look at. Too many people had died fighting for him at this castle and he couldn't go a minute without thinking about them, their limp bodies lying cold on the ground.

"He's grown tremendously, Mr. Potter."

Harry looked up at the sound of the familiar voice. He saw a gray-haired woman in black robes standing before him, a smile on her aged face. He nodded and looked over at the small, brown-haired boy running around the courtyard with a stick in his hand that was posing as his 'wand'.

"He looks like his father," McGonagall observed, eying the small boy.

"He acts like his mother, though." Harry told his former professor, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he watched the boy. At seven years old, Teddy Lupin looked almost exactly like his dad, but had the same feisty, independent personality like his mom.

"He's a handful, I expect?" The headmistress of Hogwarts asked.

"Very much so, Professor." Harry replied.

"How's everything at home?"

Harry smiled at the thought of his wife and two sons. "Things have been very hectic lately," He admitted, though he also know that hectic was an understatement. It had been an absolute madhouse at the Potter residence for the past few weeks. As if having two sons alone weren't enough to drive Harry and Ginny Potter mad, Teddy was also living with them and had been for a little over a year. As the boy's godfather, Harry had been given custody over Teddy when his guardian, and grandmother, Andromeda Tonks, had died. It hadn't come to a surprise to Harry; Andromeda was getting on in age and it was only a matter of time before she had passed on.

"And how are the boys?" The aging woman asked.

Harry smiled and shook his head at the thought of his two sons. "Well, James has just recently mastered the art of walking and Albus has not quite got the idea down that you are supposed to sleep through the night, instead of waking his parents up every hour." At fourteen-months-old and two-weeks-old, James Sirius and Albus Severus were doing everything they could to keep their parents busy and constantly tired.

"That doesn't surprise me in the least. They are Potters, after all." McGonagall said, a smile on her face.

Harry chuckled. He couldn't argue with that; Potters were known at Hogwarts for getting themselves into trouble, if Harry and his father were any indication of that.

"Professor Dumbledore would be very proud of you, Harry." The gray-haired woman said softly.

Out of all the years Harry knew Minerva McGonagall, not once did she call him by his first name aside from now. "Thank you, Professor."

"Well, I'll let you get back to what you came here for." The woman said, straightening up. "Goodbye, Mr. Potter."

"Goodbye, Professor." Harry said as he watched the woman turn and leave the courtyard through the large, wooden doors, her heels clinking against the stone as she walked.

When the headmistress of the ancient school was gone, Harry turned his attention back to Teddy, who was now digging into a planter with his hands. Smiling, Harry watched him for a few moments, before clearing his throat.

"Teddy!" He called out, catching the seven-year-old's attention. "Come here, bud."

* * *

A few minutes later, Harry was sitting on the front steps before the large wooden door, Teddy next to him. The twenty-five-year-old patted the brown-haired boy's shoulder softly before looking down at him with a small, barely detectable smile.

"You know, Teddy, you're going to be coming here in a few years."

"I know." The boy said, looking around the courtyard. "My mum and dad went here, too, huh?"

Harry nodded, folding his hands in his lap. "Yes, they did. And your dad, he was best mates with my dad when he went to school here."

"Really?" The boy asked, furrowing his eyebrows together.

"Really." Harry answered with a grin. "They did everything together." He told Teddy, leaving out the part about the other two Marauders.

Teddy thought about this for a moment. "Did my mum and dad like it here at Hogwarts?"

Harry didn't hesitate to answer this. "Of course. They loved it here." He told his godson. "Your dad even became a teacher here after he graduated."

Teddy looked up at his godfather, cocking his head to the side. "What did he teach?"

"Defense Against The Dark Arts." The twenty-five-year-old answered.

The boy crinkled his nose, reminding Harry greatly of Nymphadora. "What's that?"

Harry chuckled. "It's a class where your dad taught kids how to protect themselves against bad wizards and witches." He explained, trying to put it in the simplest terms. "Your dad taught me while I was in school and he was my favorite professor I ever had."

Teddy stayed silent for what seemed like forever to Harry before finally speaking up. "How did they die, Uncle Harry?"

Harry sighed, knowing the question was going to come up sooner or later. That was the whole point of this trip to Hogwarts, though; Teddy knew that his parents were dead, but why, how, and when were still a mystery to him.

"When you were just a baby, there was this very bad man and his friends who attacked Hogwarts." He began, clearing his throat. "Your mum and dad came to the school to protect it and the students that were still here. They died saving young kids lives."

Teddy stared blankly at the ground for a few seconds before looking at Harry again. "Why did they attack Hogwarts?"

"Well, the bad man, Tom Riddle, didn't like me very much. He and his friends wanted to hurt me so they attacked the school to find me." Harry explained.

"Who would be friends with a bad guy like that?" The seven-year-old asked.

"I don't know, Teddy."

The boy seemed very angry at this. "One day, I want to be just as brave as my mum and dad were."

Harry smiled at his godson before ruffling his brown hair with his hand. "Teddy, you are going to grow up to be a great wizard and a great man, just like your father."

The small boy smiled proudly. "Like you too, Uncle Harry. I want to be brave like you are, too."

Harry couldn't help but pull his godson into a hug right then and there. "I love you, Teddy."

"I love you too." The seven-year-old said, hugging his godfather in return. "I love my mum and dad, too."

Harry saddened at this and could feel the tears in his eyes welling up. There were only a few times in his life where he cried and he tried to fight it back now. "Your parents love you more than you could ever imagine, even if they can't be here with you today. You will never be alone though, Teddy. Your parents will always been watching over you, no matter what."

The boy peered at the dark-haired man. "Always?"

"Always."


End file.
